Lost to Suicide

Laughter in the Darkness

Robin Williams died on August 11, 2014 from suicide. 

He was dealing with Lewy body dementia that progresses quickly and is marked by depression, anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. His death brought light to a difficult subject, and the discussions I heard afterward spoke of the mental illness aspect of suicide. They took the blame off those who kill themselves, and removed the guilt from family and friends who felt there was something more they could have done the night before that would have saved them.

Grief of Dementia

We grieve when someone we love dies. We also grieve when a loved one is disappearing into dementia.

Leaving Tinkertown, written by Tanya Ward Goodman and published by the Univ. of New Mexico Press, is a brutally honest account of how a family fought against the incursions of Alzheimer’s, and their anguish at being unable to stop the disintegration. It’s also heartwarming to read because we see the family’s love for each other bringing them strength to endure when little else did.

Lost Before Death

Losing Mom To Dementia

A year ago, after several years of increasing forgetfulness, my mom had trouble remembering anything that had just been said. Her long-term memory was still good, and I could ask her about events in the past. But she no longer wanted to work on a new painting. We were beginning to lose her.

Robin Williams

Robin Williams died two years ago in August from suicide. 

He was struggling with dementia. 

Lost to Suicide.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-liebenow/lost-to-suicide_b_11285484.html